Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden at a campaign rally held at Girard College on May 29 in Philadelphia. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
May 29, 2024 Story by: Editor
In a significant joint rally, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage together at Girard College in Philadelphia on Wednesday, launching their comprehensive strategy to engage Black voters ahead of the November election.
The rally in Pennsylvania, a critical battleground state, marked the culmination of a month of intense outreach to Black communities by Biden and his campaign team. This comes as polls suggest that Biden’s likely Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, may be gaining traction with these voters.
“Let’s talk about Trump’s MAGA lies,” Biden began, adding humorously, “I don’t have an hour.”
Biden used the rally to launch a series of pointed criticisms at Trump, condemning him for the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, his Supreme Court appointments that led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and his contribution to the national debt.
“The threat that Trump poses is greater in his second term than in his first,” Biden stated. “It’s clear that when he lost in 2020, something literally snapped in this guy.”
The president also highlighted his administration’s achievements, such as removing lead pipes from communities, expanding affordable health care, capping insulin prices, signing a bipartisan gun safety bill, pardoning individuals convicted of marijuana use and possession, and canceling student debt.
Vice President Harris reflected on the administration’s response to the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down their initial student loan forgiveness plan. “A different leader, a different kind of leader would have thrown in the towel – not Joe Biden,” she said. “This is not over,” she quoted Biden from that day.
Biden emphasized the stakes of the upcoming election, stating, “Folks, all progress, all freedom, all opportunities are at risk. Trump is trying to make the country forget just how dark and unsettling things were when he was president.”
Reiterating his commitment to equality, Biden declared, “I’ll be damned if I am going to let Donald Trump be the reason. I’ll be damned if I am gonna let Donald Trump turn America into a place filled with anger and resentment and hate.”
The event also featured Maryland Governor Wes Moore and members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including its chair, Representative Steve Horsford, D-Nev., to launch the Black Voters for Biden-Harris initiative at Girard College, a boarding school for students from financially limited families.
Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, the first Black man in the role, and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, the city’s first Black woman mayor, were in attendance, along with union leaders and representatives from groups such as the NAACP and HBCU presidents.
This month, Biden has made concerted efforts to connect with Black communities, hosting plaintiffs and their families from the Brown v. Board of Education case at the Oval Office, commemorating the 1954 Supreme Court decision. White House Director of Public Engagement Steve Benjamin announced over $16 billion in federal funds allocated to Historically Black Colleges and Universities during Biden’s tenure. Source: NY 1
The president also spoke at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, hosted leaders of the Divine Nine at the White House, and participated in events with Black voters in Atlanta and Detroit. He delivered the keynote address at the NAACP Freedom Fund dinner and the commencement address at Morehouse College.
Recent polls indicate a potential decline in support for Biden among Black voters. A survey by The New York Times, Siena College, and The Philadelphia Inquirer showed Trump receiving over 20% support among Black voters, a new high for a GOP nominee. Another poll by The Wall Street Journal reported 30% of Black men and 11% of Black women likely to support Trump in 2024, an increase from 12% and 6% respectively in 2020 according to AP VoteCast.
“I’m still optimistic,” Biden expressed on Wednesday. “But I need you.”
“In 2020, Black voters in Philadelphia and across our nation helped President Biden and me win the White House,” Harris added. “And in 2024, with your voice and your power, we will win again.”
After the rally, Biden visited a local Black-owned small business for an event with the Black Chamber of Commerce.
